When do you think (unlimited) cable or DSL internet services will be available in Lebanon (for a decent price)?

shlon wrote:1) it WILL be limited at 4 and 5GB / month [which is not bad, but still...]

NOT BAD!!!!!

it sucks,
if you want to download any new linux version, the 4 GB are gone
If you want to update Windows & Anti virus & anti spyware....., the 4 GB will not be enough in 1 month
if you want to play online games, the 4 GB are gone in several hours
if you want to update the online games (which by the way all online games are often updated)..... GONE!!!!
if you want to download pictures, music, games, movies ........ GONE!!!!

the 4 GB are enough if you only wants to chat on msn and browse the internet, even though i doubt that they will be enough for just browsing specially if more than 1 person in the family is using the internet connection

So if DSL is going to be limited.... it's 100% a failure project, and i doubt anyone will use it... and if the so called "wireless broadband" will be stopped i'm pretty sure the cable providers will be happy because their business will flourish even more and more, and i'm sure most of the isp will be crying

BEIRUT: The slow rate of telecom deregulation in Lebanon has dislodged the country from the role it occupied in the 1990s, when it set the regional pace for Internet penetration, according to the head of a consumer's advocacy group. "Our Internet sector has grown by 2 percent in six years, but at the same time the ICT sectors in other Arab countries have progressed by an average of 50 percent," said Zuheir Berro, head of Consumers Lebanon.

Lebanon ranks eighth out of 12 Arab countries in terms of Internet penetration, which does not exceed 11.7 percent, said Berro, citing the Arab Advisors Group.

"We are six or seven years behind in the IT revolution, and the evolution of fixed-line telephony, Internet and mobile phones from 2005-06 has been a catastrophe," Berro told The Daily Star.

Even though the per-capita annual income in Jordan is only $1,750 compared with $4,050 in Lebanon, according to worldstats.com, the rates of Internet usage increased by 371 percent from 2000-05, versus a 100 percent increase in Lebanon. As of 2005 there are 600,000 Internet users in both countries, though there are 900,000 more people in Jordan.

At the moment Lebanon's six Internet Service Providers (ISPs) purchase bandwidth from the state-owned telecom firm OGERO, which offers two dial-up Internet connection speeds, a 33-56 kilobyte minimum capacity and a 128 kilobytes maximum capacity. Another option for companies is to pay the government to lease a phone line strictly for Internet usage, which allows for access to more bandwidth.

InfoPro Research pays $1000 per month for a leased line, said general manager, Imad Bashour, who said the government must reduce rates to regionally comparable levels and increase bandwidth capacity in order to attract the private sector to Lebanon.

"When investors come here and want to set up a business they look at the IT infrastructure and they see it is overpriced, and there are time limitations and volume limitations. To pay $1000 per month for a leased line is ridiculous, in Dubai they pay, what, $50?" Bashour said.

The Telecom Ministry has delayed the introduction of the digital DSL network by more than four months now, but insists that by September it will be operational. Minister Marwan Hamade told The Daily Star that the process is on track.

"We've added new access capacity with FLAG, the two (DSL related) decrees have been approved, and Ogero reduced internet tariffs by 65-70 percent this year," he said over the phone, though he did not give a specific internet penetration rate.

"Internet penetration rates are moving up and the IT sector is going to boom after 12-14 years of sleeping," Hamade said.

Berro said that he met with Hamade in June and asked him to speed up the progress of telecom privatization, accelerate rate reductions, and "put these problems out of political conflict." Hamade agreed that privatization is imperative, but said the process is more difficult than it would seem since 38 percent of the state's budget comes from telecom revenues. Though Hamade refused to comment on the conversation with Berro, he did confirm that 38 percent of the government budget comes from telecom revenues - $40 million comes from Internet revenues and LL800 billion to LL900 billion ($533 million to $600 million) from the mobile sector.

Though telecom revenues are not a drain on national resources like the government's subsidy to EDL or payments to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), deregulation of the telecom sector and its eventual privatization remains just as crucial to economic growth.

The ministers of economy and trade and finance said at the Lebanon Opportunities Conference last month that two new GSM companies are expected to enter the market at end of 2006, and the privatization of Liban telecom and fixed lines to be completed by mid-2007.

GoodBye DSL, i thought we were going to finally have DSL at september, but after the Israely invasion and all that bridges and infrastructures destroyed, i doubt that we will have DSL, at least not for another 5 or 6 years

Why is Lebanon with no DSL yet? Because of its government, AND ONLY BECAUSE OF ITS GOVERNMENT... Now this governement is being attacked!... So from a strict DSL point of view, I don't know if that's so bad.

Also, I wouldn't be happy just to have DSL. It would be better if the people/entities who prevented DSL from being available all these years, and made the country loose this economical development be severly judged... in a real trial, or at least "punished" by history.

1. If the war ends in 3 to 4 days and Hezbollah gives up its weapons, Lebanon will become terror-free and will gain back all of it's faith in the eyes of foreign countries. Things will get back to normal economically; investments will grow and tourism will become healthy again, and the government will continue its plans for DSL. (But it willl certainly not be launched in September.)

OR

2. If the war doesn't end soon, and Syria joins the war, bye-bye Lebanon and DSL forever.

Much like everything else in Lebanon, I think that internet service is political. My cousins in Roumyeh have high speed cable internet but this is the only one I have ever heard of or seen and when I asked them how they get it, they couldn't really answer me. I am going to ask them again and see what they tell me.

Hey Guys
Yeah ISPs here bloody suck right now, but they are getting better...well kinda
anyway i don't feel like waiting another YEAR for DSL to come out, right now i have a Wireless "BroadBand" connection that has a DAMN 1.2GB BANDWIDTH RESTRICTION
i can't take it anymore, only other company i found was IDM but they canceled thier, BroadBand (not wireless expencive but NO BANDWIDTH) and i badly need a new bandwidth free connection
128Kbits or 256Kbits would be perfect
most importantly
NO BANDWIDTH
any of u guys know an ISP that offers a none restricting connection???
i don't really care about a HYPER SPEED connection 128Kbits would do, just to get me through the wait for DSL, thanks for the help guys.

I am really considering buying a wireless point to point system i found on the internet that cost 5000 dollars and can provide a link of up to 200 km
which is just what i need to get internet from cyprus

LooooL
5000$ to get internet for CYPRUS?!?!?!?!?!?!?
LooL man just wait
DSL will probably be out the end of this year if we are lucky if not next year with up to 2mbs
go to [www.dsl.net.lb]
and check it out
and you are saying 512 is for 175$
MAN you are paying 5000$
and still u'll have to pay stuff per month give it time be patient young grasshopper